Followers

Tuesday 1 May 2012


The Asian Security


With the rise of different varieties of fundamentalisms the issues of global security have become increasingly important both nationally and trans-nationally. Just as Europe and the United States have been gearing on a war-footing to combat the fallout from global fundamentalism, Asia too must acknowledge the urgency of both national and global security. Where does the future of important Asian nations like Japan, China and India lie? Does it lie in cooperation with Europe and America only? Or does it lie in cooperation amongst themselves and with other Asian nations? Every Asian country needs to answer these questions.

A lot has been written about Asia’s place in the global economy and the emergence of Asia Pacific as an important zone in the world. But hardly any attention is being paid to Asian security affairs. Security analysts believe that the United States would try to disengage its military presence in Asia and as a result create a security vacuum. This vacuum could then be filled by China, Japan and India either individually or collectively. However both unilateral and cooperative Asian security can be constrained by a lack of communication, cultural knowledge and understanding between the three nations. We may disagree with this conclusion but we cannot quarrel with the idea that Asia will profit by developing cultural and social links between China, Japan and India.

Most of Asia has enjoyed relative peace and political security for over fifty years. The wars in Korea and Vietnam were bloody but localized and the Cambodian War was an extension of the Vietnam War. The division of British India into three nations was violent but did not destabilize the sub-continent completely. The division between China mainland and Taiwan has resulted in tension but not in military conflict yet. Some U. S. Congressmen feel that East Asian defense has become rather costly for America. They also feel that since the Russian threat is removed and China has been integrating well into the world system, U.S. forces in Asia should be reduced in the coming decades. Already Japan is talking about a post-American system of security and developing its satellite surveillance capability by developing rocket technology. 

Now the question is can Japan remain a non-nuclear nation or need to revise Article 9 of the constitution. This is an alarming question both for Japanese and people of the world. There are no easy answers. Japan may not be worried about China but certainly feels threatened by North Korea. If Pax Americana retreats from Asia then China, Japan and India become important players in the security of Asia. For who could handle a conflict say between Malaysia and Philippines or Indonesia. In the absence of conflict resolution the whole of East Asia might become politically unstable.

Japanese leaders are worried by the increase in defense spending by China and North Korea. International discussion and negotiation could be an effective way to reduce such threat and tension that U.S. has prevented till now. The role of the United Nations and Association of South-east Asian Nations (ASEAN) would increase. Now ASEAN is making a new initiative to stage a Regional Security Conference to encounter this threat. Also the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) held meetings in Seattle to explore ways of creating regional security of Asia. These are welcome trends in this direction.

None of the main players in Asia—China, Japan and India—have emerged as trustworthy leaders who could handle Asian security affairs. Japan has become economically capable but is not seen as a leader in Asia, either by China or India. Its economy is rather fragile. Japan has developed a system of interlocking trade and investment in Asia to protect itself from Asian economic exploitation. China practices the Communist ideology, which has been rejected by the Asian region: and China has border disputes. On the other hand China’s open-door policy is making relations normal with other countries inviting cross investments. India, fluent in the English language and familiar with western administrative system, has an advantage in the international and regional organization. It has a considerable presence overseas especially in Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Hong Kong and Japan. With the rise of information technology India, Japan and China are investing in each other’s economy.

This does not mean that bilateral relationship between the three countries in Asia is good. Japan feels culturally indebted to China, but guilty of the military excesses it committed during the China War in the 1930s. Buddhism, Confucianism, Chinese ideograms and principles of art and government are shared by China and Japan. But Japan seems to feel some contempt for China’s slowness to modernize. China feels psychologically superior but economically envious of Japan. Today Japan is the biggest provider of funds and technology to China. The territorial dispute over the Senkaku islands and Japan’s rewriting of history books are major areas of conflict with China. In 1985 Robert Taylor in his book The Sino-Japanese Axis predicted that a new civilization would be built on “Chinese culture and Japanese art.” But there are plenty of Japanese who would not agree with this prediction.

There are many successful Indian traders in Southern Japan and now Indian IT professionals and scholars are getting added to this list.  Japanese businessmen find India an excellent location for offshore development. India is a major beneficiary of Japanese economic aid. But Japanese know little about India. They are shocked by the caste system, poverty and arrogance of the elite. However in the last few decades there have been Indo-Japanese success stories as well. The success of Maruti-Suzuki, a joint automobile venture, is a new model of partnership between the two countries. China and India is another story. The distrust generated by the Indo-China War of 1962 still lingers on. China is frightened of India’s backing of Tibet and India is worried of Chinese support of Pakistan. It seems unlikely that the three countries might come together in the near future to forge an Asian security system. However it is possible that they might develop their own influence over the region or develop the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation or SAARC 

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